This year’s Imbibe Live event at Earls Court saw over two dozen sommeliers tasting some of the top wines from this year’s Sommelier Wine Awards competition to find out which bottles received the ultimate accolade. Chris Losh recorded the results

More 2011 Sommelier Wine Awards winners announced

After a shocking first year in the SWAs, Carmenère found its feet with some style this year, delivering some great wines

Between them, the following submitters were awarded half of this year’s Gold List wines. To make life easier for you, we’ve listed the top five merchants and their Gold wines here. Now get calling…

Huge wines and huge prices, this was a category that seemed to be more about ego than elegance

With screwcaps to the fore, the quality of the whites (particularly) and the reds here was amazing for the price. Rosé was another matter entirely

Plenty of entries, and plenty of ambition, too, for this hot, new category. Just not quite enough balance in the wines

The customers’ love of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc shows no sign of abating, and the strong performance of this category shows why they may have a point

Superlative examples and high prices on the Gold List, so if it’s bargains you’re after, look lower down!

A good, rather than great, year for white Burgundy with the 2008s often too tight and 2009s fractionally too young

With a general lack of great available vintages to call on, this was a category that polarised the opinions of the tasters

Too few entries. The Lebanese producer Ksara performed well but where were the Greeks and Eastern Europeans?

The mid-weight wines of the North-East were the stars, but overall Italy succeeded in providing a wide range of good food-friendly reds at decent prices

In the past, a By The Glass award has gone to wines that match specific dishes – the theory being that they could be served by the glass as ready matches with a meal.

Some weird and wonderful blends and, despite the lack of Golds, a generally positive reaction from the tasters